Black Ich

After over 10 years in the hobby I realize you will never see it all. Everyday you learn something new. Sometimes you learn something new because of a mistake. Sometimes you learn new ways to make the same mistake. Sometiems you learn something that helps make the hobby easier. Whatever it may be , the point is we never stop learning as hobbyists. No one knows everything and no one has experienced it all.

So I thought I would share what I learned about this weekend!

I found out that tangs are not only able to contract and spread ‘regular’ ich but there also exists ‘black’ ich. It was first observed on Thursday, by Sunday the fish had succumbed to the bacteria. It swam and behaved normally like all the other tangs. Unfortunately it was plagued by black marks that unlike regular ich which appear above the skin like small grains of sand, lay underneath its skin remembering small bruises. I initially thought it was just stress and it was being picked on by one of the other tangs as they can often become aggressive with one another. This was no the case. This blonde naso what much larger than the other fish and was not being bullied or bothered at all. I poured a coffee sat in front of the tank for about 30 minutes and watched him as a behaved like a normal blonde naso. Swimming up, swimming down and side to side as happy as could be . Acted completely normal and no scratching against rock or surfaces like regular ich. I didn’t pay too much attention to it. Wish I had : (

Hope that your fish never contracts this and you dont have to deal with it. My research into is limited but seems that some of the available fish medications out there can be used to treat in a quarantine tank.

All the best and happy reefing

RIP blonde naso who swims now in a big ocean in fish heaven with other blonde nasos and an unlimited supply of hair algae.